


Puzzling

by conceptstage



Series: Single Chapter Critical Role [126]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:34:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22900309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/conceptstage/pseuds/conceptstage
Summary: Tumblr Prompt"Sometimes being a complete nerd comes in handy."
Relationships: Beauregard Lionett & Caleb Widogast
Series: Single Chapter Critical Role [126]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1436668
Comments: 3
Kudos: 111





	Puzzling

Caleb frowned and paced back and forth furiously in front of the giant stone door, running his eyes and his mind over the puzzle. “I just… I cannot make the connection,” he said, pausing and tapping his foot. “I just do not see the trick.”

“You’ll get it, Caleb!” Nott cheered from where the others were gathered across the room. “You’re so, so smart, you’ll get it!”

Fjord sighed and rolled his eyes. He glanced at Beau on his left and raised an eyebrow at her. “You alright?”

She was staring at the puzzle door with her eyebrows furrowed and her arms crossed over her chest. “I… Yeah. I was just… doesn’t it look kind of like a rhumb line?”

Fjord just blinked at her in confusion. “It- Sure. I guess. I have no idea what that is.” He cleared his throat and called out to Caleb. “Hey, Caleb! Beau has an idea!”

Beau’s eyes widened when Caleb glanced over at her and she shook her head. “No, no, it’s- it’s stupid. It was just an idea, it was just- It’s probably not right.”

Caleb walked over quickly. “If you have an idea, it cannot hurt to try it. What do you think?”

Beau bit her lip and hesitated but then turned back to the door and pointed at one of the shapes in the corner, then up to another shape. “It looks like a rhumb line. The thin lines are the meridians. It’s at a weird angle, I guess, but-”

Caleb just blinked at her. “I… I do not know what that is. Do you want to try it?”

“Nah, it’s nothing. There’s no way I figured it out if you didn’t, right? It’s fine.” Caleb grabbed her by the hand and started trying to pull her towards the door but she didn’t budge, just watching him struggle with a raised eyebrow. “Dude, it was stupid. Just forget it.”

“Just try it,” Jester urged from behind her. “It can’t hurt to try.”

Beau sighed and groaned but moved to follow Caleb towards the door. She stood in front of the sliding tiles for a few minutes, planning the tiles’ paths across the door. She let out a heavy breath and looked over her shoulder once more and Caleb urged her on with a small, awkward smile. Finally, she reached up and started sliding the hundred small, hand-sized tiles around until the pattern began to take shape, a sphere with a spiral that hit each meridian at the same angle.

There was a click when she slid the final tile into place and the lines of the tiles started to glow and the lights started to curl and spin like a three dimensional sphere. After a quiet moment, the door started to slide open with a rumble that shook the room. Stale, stagnant air rushed out of the door and whipped her hair over her shoulder. Caleb stepped up at her side when the air died down. “You solved it. It didn’t even occur to me that the shape might be three dimensional.”

Beau shrugged, her face feeling hot, and averted her eyes. “Well, I guess sometimes being a complete nerd comes in handy. I read about it in a book about sea navigation and it… whatever.”

He turned to her fully and grabbed her by her shoulders. “You are brilliant. Well done.” 

She sneered and scratched nervously at her undercut. “It’s- Whatever,” she said again. He pulled her forward and kissed her forehead and she smacked his arm away. “Ew! Don’t be gross.”

Caleb had glee in his eyes as he started moving forward through the puzzle tomb. “Sorry. I just got excited. Will you help me with the next one?”

Beau rolled her eyes and moved to follow him, hearing the others moving behind her. “You’re such a fucking nerd.”

Fjord laughed out loud behind them. “Looks like it takes one to know one, Beau!” She flipped him off without looking and marched after Caleb into the depths.


End file.
